Much has been said about how San Franciscans feel divided, on how controversy and contest fuels much of our local politics, and how we can’t seem to find agreement to get big things, or even basic things, done. In the face of this, finding common sense solutions, building consensus, bridging divides and, yes, compromising offers a real road forward. Here in the Sunset, we’ve been able to find common ground on some of the most hot-button issues to make real progress.
There is no denying that people in this City are feeling less safe. We have seen a rise in targeted, violent attacks against our most vulnerable communities. In the past month, we saw three attacks against Asian elders in the Richmond District alone. This is unacceptable.
I’m excited to share that the SF Board of Supervisors adopted my Veterans Affordable Housing Access Act, a new policy that helps prevent homelessness and expands access to affordable housing for veterans.
Not only will we be voting on several state measures, including codifying abortion access, San Francisco voters will also have a say in 15 local measures and will choose candidates for elected office impacting all levels of our government.
A budget is a moral document. And our City’s budget, recently signed into law by Mayor London Breed, is not only moral, but balanced – fiscally and ideologically. It reflects a collaborative, constructive and historic investment in addressing the biggest priorities and challenges facing our City.
Every June, the mayor presents the Board of Supervisors with a proposed budget for approval. This year, as a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC), my colleagues and I spent the month of June scrutinizing line items, questioning department representatives, and hearing from service providers and the public about their needs.
And finally, I also want to thank the voters of District 4 and Citywide — with all the ballots counted, Proposition G, Public Health Emergency Leave, has passed in a landslide, with more than 64% of voters supporting it. It won in every district in the City, and nearly every precinct.
As activists have put it, if Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) were an individual and not a corporation, they would be behind bars for the preventable deaths and devastation they have caused.
San Francisco has fallen far behind on its goals to build affordable housing for working families.
The SFMTA recently completed the first phase of outreach for the Sunset Neighborways project, taking in feedback from neighbors across the Sunset and from hundreds of parents from neighborhood schools.
Every 10 years, our City’s charter requires that we draw new district lines based on the decennial census to ensure our population per district is as evenly distributed as possible. San Francisco had at-large supervisor races until 1976 when district elections led to the election of Harvey Milk. District elections were repealed in 1980, then reinstated in 1996, taking effect in 2000.
There’s no better time to enjoy the enchantment of some of our City’s premier open spaces, and now there’s no barrier to doing it. Last month, I joined Mayor London Breed in sponsoring and passing legislation to make the Gardens of Golden Gate Park free for all San Francisco residents starting April 21.
For decades, the plastic industry has profited from plastic pollution, fueling our dependence on plastic, and misleading us into thinking we can recycle away the problem.
Last month, voters decisively chose a different direction for the school board, recalling all three Board of Education Commissioners on the ballot by large margins.
Supporting Working Families in Our Economy’s Recovery.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 